Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-01-20
THE NORTHWEST
REDUCE THE TAXES.
SOLID SPEECH OF HON. w. d. HILL
AGAINST EXTORTIoN.
An Argument for the People Which
Pc opleShouId Remember.


Pc opleShould Remember.
At the Jackson banquetin Columbus,
Hon. w. ID. Hill responded to the toast:
"TaXation: when carried beyond the
needs of the government economically
administered, is nothing less than pub
lie robbery The address was an elo-
quent argument for the people, and is
herewith printed entire:
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN:
This is dry subject, and perhaps not so
appropriate for discussion at banquet
like this. as upon the hustings. Recent
events, however, have developed the
fact that if we are to have reforms in
Federal politics they must begin with
the people. 1t Is conceded that there
is large and daily increasing surplus
in the United States Treasury, and that
there is no legitimate purpose to which
1t can be applied. The present system
of Federal taxation was devised more
than aquarter ofa century ago, at time
when it was necessary, because at that
time we had an immense army to main
tain, and the liquidation of an enor-
nous public debt to anticipate. At that
time the population of this country was
but thirty-eight millions; now it is
nearly sixty millions, so that the tax
paying power of the people has nearly
doubled, and the power of ofconsumption
has more than doubled. When this
system of taxation was devised it re-
quired three millions day to maintain
the army in the field. But the army
was disbanded more than twenty years
ago, and money enough has been col
lected to pay all the national debt that
is due and can be paid. The constitu-
tion authorizes Congress to levy taxes
for the support of the government, and
for that purpose only. | have never
head it claimed that there was any au-
thority in the instrument to collect
money from the people by taxation,
and hoard 1t in the treasury without
purpose, or to collect money from one
set of private individuals for the exclu-
sive benefit ofanother set. I am per-
fectly willing to vote tax on all the
people to pension the soldiers who
fought for the life and preservation of
this Republic; but think the pension
list ought to stop there, because it has
never been the policy of this govern
ueht w pcIiSloIi any yUouyf cACcpU oOLu-
iers, who were injured in the battle, or
contracted diseases or disabilities while
in theservice. We pay our soldiers now,
and their widows, few dollars month
for pensions, but we take from them
two dollars for every one we pay them
for the building up of monopolies in
this country who have already grown
rich upon the necessities created by the
civil war. I see no reason why our peo-
pie should pay tax of fifty millions of
dOllors per annum on sugar when we
do not need themoney, especially when
the entire sugar product of the country
does not exceed ten millions of dollars
per annum. Yet this is the article of
food which nearly everybody is re-
quired to consume. 1t is claimed that
high protective taxes protect American
industries against foreign industries,
and American labor against competi-
tions of foreign laborers; but for 25
years the taxes on foreign manufac-
lures have been as high as any man
could dare to put it, and yet the labor
ing men of America have not been sat
isfied because their wages have met
ruinous reductions from time to time.
1t may have occurred to them that dur
ing all this time there has been
no tariff or tax on imported Ia
bor, and whenever wages seemed too
high to the employer in this country
he went to Europe for cheaper labor to
supply the places of the higher priced
labor of his own country. I must also
commend to the laboring men of this
country a sentence from the great
LwnvnIx ~ kan cntnxStsek
About: "The law of supply and de-
mand alone can rule the price of labor
in every country and every age.o If
high tariffs and high taxes on imported
goods are a panacea for the evils of low
wages, why do our laboring men COM
plain? They have got the tariff, why
don't they get wages? Why the strikes of
1877, Immediately after the Republican
party had obtained new lease of pow
er? Why the hard times in 1882 and 1883,
Immediately after the election of Gar
field and Arthur, and Republican Con-
gress with my friend Keifer as speaker?
There was no agitation of the tariff
question then until Republican Secre-
tary of the Treasury and President
Arthur recommended Republican
Congress to reduce the tariff on wool,
which they proceeded to do. They also
provided tariff commission to report
and revise; and afterwards, with char
acteristic impudence, at Chicago when
they nominated Blaine, resolved that
the Republican party would correct the
inequalities of the tariff. They have
redeemed their pledges In Congress by
voting almost solidly against any and
every proposition to even consider a
bill to reduce the revenues or correct
those inequalities. The receipts OF the
treasury average over million of dol
lars u day, and the estimates for the
current fiscal year ending June, 1887,
place the amount at nearly four hun
dred millions of dollars. Every dollar
ofthis startling sum, not needed for
the administration of the government,
is SO much money withdrawn from ac-
tive circulation and legitimate business.
That ii will produce stagnation In trade,
financial panies, hard times, bank
ruptcy and universal distress if not
stopped, Is merely question ofa short